In the resource recovery industry, resources (such as hydrocarbons, steam, minerals, water, metals, etc.) are often recovered from boreholes in formations containing the targeted resource. Many wells include long horizontal sections of a production well, where the resources in the formation include both liquid and gas phases. When only the liquid is desired as the targeted resource, the gas produced with the liquid is a waste product. Gas breakthrough into the well reduces production from other zones and lowers overall recovery of liquids.
In a steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) system, an injection well is used to inject steam into a formation to heat the oil within the formation to lower the viscosity of the oil so as to produce the liquid resource (mixture of oil and water) by a production well. The injector well generally runs horizontally and parallel with the production well. Steam from the injector well heats up the thick oil in the formation, providing the heat that reduces the oil viscosity, effectively mobilizing the oil in the reservoir. After the vapor condenses, the liquid emulsifies with the oil, the heated oil and liquid water mixture drains down to the production well. An ESP is often used to pull the oil and water mixture out from the production well. Water and oil go to the surface, the water is separated from the oil, and the water is reinjected back into the formation by the injector well as steam, for a continuous process.
Inflow control devices (ICDs) are used to even out production from sections of the horizontal production well. Without ICDs, the heel of the production well may produce more of the targeted resource than the toe of the production well. Likewise, heterogeneities in the reservoir may result in uneven flow distributions. The ICDs are employed to impose pressure distribution along the wellbore to control and distribute the production rate along the wellbore.
Due to irregularities in formations in which the steam is injected, the heat from the steam may not be distributed through the formation evenly, resulting in uneven production results.
The art would be receptive to alternative and improved devices and methods to reduce unwanted gas production and breakthrough in the resource recovery industry.